Downtown in the desert

You are in Tucson and spent some quality time downtown, and now you like a cocktail or a bite. Or maybe you are driving back from the airport and your appetite does not quite hold until you go back home. Or, you just want a good meal and you like the Tucson skyline. I personally like to drive south on Stone at sunset, when the (few!) tall buildings of downtown have a special glare. Or, finally, it is late at night and after a show you want to listen to good live music (Thu-Sat only) with your favorite wine. Now finally you have a place to eat and drink that matches your expectations, go to Downtown kitchen and cocktails and you will be happy.

The setting is a open space with kitchen in view. Maybe too much in view? I prefer to seat farther from it. The bar goes on forever and it is a good-looking bar at that. Hostess and waiters are kind and well trained now, and the noise level conversation-yileding. The music only starts around 10 pm, and by that time you had finish dinner and, possibly, exhausted most of the interesting topics of conversation, so it is a welcome change of pace.

The place is vegan-friendly. On my last visit I had a main course of delicious Asian noodles with a fantastic mix of raw and cooked veggies, and nuts, filling and especially tasty. On other visits I extensively asked if they could veganize some dishes, and they could. My companions were thrilled by the Chinese duck and a cheese appetizer with mushrooms. We also had African soup, and ahi ceviche. I tasted this last one and it was just about the best chevice I even eat. The mix of tastes in each dish was complicated and spicy, but never tasted like a mess, it always stopped short of too much. The chef-owner, Janos, knows his craft, obviously.

The wine list is good, not great. The good think is that they sell a lots of good wines by the glass as well, so you can easily ask for a taste if you are not sure before ordering a bottle. We tasted a couple before ordering our Argentine Merlot, which was very good. On another visit I had a cocktail, a Manhattan, which was top of the shelve. The bar is an ideal spot also to dine solo, it is informal and looks bright and safe. The reason why I attach the lone dollar sign to this place is not because it is super cheap (you can read the prices in the restaurant link below) but because the quality-price ratio is so high that it almost seems inexpensive. I highly recommend this place. You will relax, enjoy, eat well, feel well afterwords, and you will contribute to bring some business to downtown Tucson, which is sorely needed.


Downtown kitchen and cocktails (Janos)
$
135 South 6th Avenue
Tucson, Arizona
(520) 623 7700

Open Monday to Sunday
late night Thu-Sat, bar open until 2 am
http://downtownkitchen.com/